Matchmaker
by Kyrri
Summary: Squall experiences something new - emotion.
1. Ice on the Windowpane

Matchmaker By Kyrri (kyrrissean@hotmail.com)  
  
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me - I'm at the shallow end of the creative pool and can't create my own so I'm borrowing the FF8 cast - please don't sue! Archive: Just tell me where!  
  
  
  
Part 1: Ice on the Windowpane  
  
Squall Leonhart raced down the corridor, trying desperately to escape the turmoil of his thoughts as he fled the Training Centre. Moving as quickly as his legs could carry him he headed towards his Dormitory and somehow managed to make his way through the crowded walkways without incident.  
  
Some distant part of his mind noticed the stares his unusual behaviour was receiving, but he couldn't have cared less. He simply had to get away! Squall's mind turned back to the events he was desperately trying to forget as they blazed brightly before his mind's eye again - leaving a red trail in their wake.  
  
"Oh, God." Squall sobbed before increasing his pace, nearly trampling Selphie as he rushed past her, the confusion he felt clearly written upon his usually expressionless features.  
  
Unshed tears burned in his eyes and he blinked frantically, trying to rid himself of them, cursing silently as he felt a trail of wetness down his cheek, threatening to bring release to his tumultuous emotions.  
  
He saw the door to his room approaching quickly through tear-filled eyes and slowed slightly. His right hand frantically began to dig in his jacket- pocket for his keys.  
  
Success - he came to a complete stop in front of his door and fumbled with the lock, unable to find the right key in his haste and desperation to get away from everyone, including himself.  
  
Finally he found the right key and pushed the door open, pulling it close again behind him and listening for the click as he locked it again from the inside. Faithfully and true to its purpose the lock clicked shut and Squall allowed himself to sink to the floor with his back to the door.  
  
Silently he drew his knees to his chest and lay his chin upon them, his arms encircling them tightly. He hated this. he hated this confusion he was experiencing now. he hated the fact that he felt vulnerable. he hated feeling.  
  
He allowed his eyelids to drop shut as he tried to calm the rapid beating of his heart. Silent tears spilled down his cheeks - he didn't know why he was reacting like this. But he knew the cause of this rather embarrassing display of emotion - 'it' was probably standing in the Training Centre with that insufferable smirk on his face.  
  
The very thought of Seifer Almasy made his blood boil. It was far easier to be angry at his childhood rival than sift through the jumble of emotion he was experiencing. He'd never been very good at dealing with his feelings - he far preferred pretending that they didn't exist!  
  
But Seifer had never truly allowed him that luxury - the handsome blonde had always dragged some kind of feeling from him, even if Seifer had to beat him to a pulp to get a reaction.  
  
He allowed his hand to come up, fingers trailing lightly over the scar that ran diagonally between his eyes - proof of the fact that Seifer could make him react. Proof of the fact that he did experience passion. Proof of the fact that he was bound to Seifer, whether he liked it or not.  
  
A sigh escaped his lips - he still didn't know how he had reached the Infirmary that day. He could vaguely remember the sensation of being carried, of being pressed closely to someone's chest, soothing words that meant nothing to him in his semi-conscious state being whispered in his ear.  
  
Somehow the thought that this someone could have been Seifer Almasy made him snort in disbelief - his rival couldn't possibly have cared if he had bled to death. But something tugged at his mind - something he did not wish to acknowledge. Something he did not wish to accept. And even though he fought valiantly to keep his thoughts from summoning the image it surfaced - making his mouth go dry.  
  
How long had he been ignoring this? It all seemed to come together in his mind - the stares, the fighting, even the jealous looks Seifer shot him when he was with Rinoa. He couldn't believe the direction his thoughts had taken - Seifer couldn't possibly want him.  
  
Not when the man was openly flirting with Squall's girlfriend - trying to win her back. Not when Squall had seen him exciting the Girls' Dormitory looking rather smug on various occasions. Seifer seemed to be the perfect example of masculinity - he didn't act gay.  
  
Squall leant back against the door, feeling ill - Seifer had never acted gay; at least not until that afternoon. Squall allowed his mind to wander; he didn't want to recall the afternoon's events. He was running away from his feelings again - he could practically hear his shrink chiding him and Rinoa's easy agreement rang in his ears.  
  
Yeah, so what! If he wanted to ignore the fact that he had emotions then who were they to tell him he couldn't? He didn't even want a bloody shrink, but Rinoa insisted that they needed help - that their relationship was falling apart without it. She also insisted that it was all his fault - typical!  
  
So he wasn't exactly a social butterfly. So maybe he was a bit repressed - that didn't make him a bad person and it definitely didn't mean that he had to go to Balamb twice a week to visit some nutter who just happened to have a diploma on his wall that attested to his own questionable - in Squall's opinion - sanity. Why did he ever agree to it?  
  
"Because you can't say no to Rinoa and you know it." A soft, definitely female voice chided in the back of his mind. "She goes all puppy-eyed and your resolve just crumbles to dust." The voice sounded highly disgusted with him and he couldn't help but feel amused, smiling slightly.  
  
A sudden chill ran down his spine as an icy palm cupped his cheek, long fingers trailing a freezing line over his lips and finally tracing the curve of his slight smile. He opened his eyes to stare directly into the chillingly blue gaze of Shiva.  
  
She was smiling at him, the long yellow locks of her hair falling freely over her shoulders and down to her waist as she sat crouched before him.  
  
"Now isn't that much better? I so hate it when you mope!" Squall gaped at her. It simply wasn't possible - you had to summon a GF, they didn't simply come to you of their own free will. Shiva snorted, the hand that had been cupping his cheek falling down to rest lightly on a pale blue thigh.  
  
"I come and go as I please - we all do - some of us are just more loyal than others." She smiled at him again, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Squall noticed that his mouth was hanging open and shut it with a click. Shiva smirked before her gaze softened under Squall's glare.  
  
"You really are a mess, aren't you?" Squall continued to glare at her, finding that concentrating on being the icicle his reputation stated him to be took his mind off of Seifer and.  
  
He let his gaze drop to the floor, not wanting to allow her to read his emotions on his face. Not wanting her to see his weakness bared to the world upon his tear-streaked cheeks.  
  
Cold breath on his wet cheeks brought him out of his reverie and he felt icy arms encircle him as he let his knees drop, allowing Shiva to pull him into her cool embrace. "Shh. Don't worry, sweet prince, all your secrets are safe with me - even if it is you I have to keep those secrets from," she whispered in his ear, her cold breath causing him to shiver slightly in her arms.  
  
He pulled away, her words causing a small frown to appear on his brow. She smiled again, reading the silent question in his eyes and thoughts. "I am part of you, Squall - you cannot hide anything from me. I know you inside out. I know you better than you know yourself. You are, after all, my prince."  
  
With these words she pulled him close again, pressing blue lips against pale pink ones in a chaste kiss before disappearing, though her icy breath still lingered on the air long after. Finally fading away into nothingness as her voice sounded one last farewell in his mind - leaving him feeling much comforted but utterly alone.  
  
Shiva knew - she accepted him - she didn't try to change him. didn't force him to see a shrink. A wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he brought his knees up again, gaining leverage and finally pushing himself up so that he could survey the room.  
  
He shivered slightly - Shiva had left her mark, and any doubt that the GF had truly come left him as he pulled his jacket closer. The room was freezing - his eyes fell on his bedroom window that could clearly be seen through the open door, it was completely frosted over - small beads of condensation only just starting to run down the misty glass.  
  
The sight caused another shiver to run down his spine. He moved then - as if awakening from some strange spell and covered the distance to open the window - the frosty white planes seemed to be crying silently, framed by the darkness that it only barely managed to conceal. He trailed his hands over his own pale face, finding tear-streaks already dry, but sticky beneath his fingers.  
  
Icy digits crept towards the windows, throwing them open wide and allowing the warm evening air to fill the room. Squall rested his hands on the windowsill, letting the breeze play with his almost shoulder-length hair as he leaned forward slightly into the wind.  
  
Voices drifted up at him from the direction of the Quad and he winced slightly - Selphie was holding another one of her famous events. She definitely had way too much energy. He moved away from the window wishing that he hadn't promised the energetic brunette that he would make an appearance, but a promise was a promise - so he dutifully made his way to the bathroom and turned the shower on, letting the water heat and steam fill the room, before stripping and getting into the shower.  
  
He allowed the hot water to run over him, warming his cold flesh. He knew he could just bail, but he'd never be able to face Selphie in the morning if he did. A deep sigh escaped his lips - he didn't want to do this, he didn't want to face Seifer again, not before he'd sorted out his feelings - something that he was desperately trying to avoid.  
  
His hand clenched into a fist as he slammed it into the cold tiles of the shower, causing a jolt of pain to course through his arm - he could still feel Seifer's body pressed close to his, the taller man's lips devouring his own as Seifer's tongue found its way into his mouth.  
  
He pushed the thought away roughly, in much the same way he had pushed Seifer away. It simply wasn't right - Seifer was a man and Squall wasn't gay! But you want Seifer, a timid little voice in the back of his mind made itself known. Squall immediately and ruthlessly crushed it.  
  
He wasn't gay! He refused to admit that he could be attracted to another man in even the smallest measure. That he was attracted to Seifer, that he could want to be with Seifer, was simply ridiculous. He wasn't gay!  
  
Why did he keep repeating that? Was he trying to reassure himself that it was true? It was true, wasn't it? He was in love with Rinoa, wasn't he? He loved Rinoa - he knew that, but there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone.  
  
Cold water pouring down his neck and dripping from the strands of hair plastered to his forehead brought him out of his reverie. His breath escaped him in a long, drawn-out sigh as he closed the faucet. No! He couldn't allow himself to doubt this. He was in love with Rinoa - everything was right with Rinoa.  
  
Then why was that little voice in the back of his head whispering another name? He squashed the voice, grabbing a towel as he got out of the shower and wrapped it around him as he entered the room.  
  
The contents of the closet echoed his mood as he flung it open wide - mostly black, with a few white or grey shirts. He grinned when he saw a single blue shirt lying in a corner, looking quite out of place.  
  
Rinoa had bought him that one in a vain attempt to get him to wear more colours. His smile faded - if Rinoa had been here he wouldn't be in this mess, She'd only have to flash him one smile and he'd let everything go - let her endless optimism sooth all his worries away. If she was here it would be so mush easier to avoid Seifer - he would have been safe.  
  
But she wasn't here - she'd gone to visit her father and wouldn't be back for another week at least. When had Rinoa become his security blanket? The irony of it made a wry smile twist the corners of his mouth - wasn't he supposed to be Rinoa's security blanket?  
  
She hadn't outgrown that yet - she still wanted a protector, still needed Squall to take care of her. And he was happy to fulfil the role, to take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be all right. But everything wouldn't be all right - everything was far from being all right.  
  
A harsh knock on the door shattered that train of thought and he cursed softly under his breath as the knock was repeated again - more loudly this time. Whoever it was wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.  
  
He pulled the towel more tightly around his waist and headed towards the door, unlocking it and pulling it open so violently quick that a startled Selphie nearly fell inside before catching herself.  
  
"What?" He said irritably, watching as the girl tried to regain her bearings. Selphie was staring at his naked chest, eyes trailing downward before she stopped herself and looked up into his stormy-grey eyes.  
  
Squall arched one delicately curved eyebrow at her, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Well?" he asked, breaking the silence that stretched between them. Selphie stared at him, he mouth hanging wide open, before stuttering something that was suppose to be a reply.  
  
Unfortunately Selphie's usual exuberance and her nervousness at finding Squall half-naked combined to make an impossible mess of inaudible words. Somewhere in the jumble of phrases he managed to catch the words 'promise', 'Quad' and 'party'.  
  
Squall smiled softly, trying to calm her rushed words and lifted a hand to signal that she should stop. When she was breathing normally he said, "I'm on my way, just let me get dressed first, Selp - or do you want me parading naked?"  
  
Selphie blinked, staring at him as if she had never seen him before. Squall sighed, before shutting the door in Selphie's face - why did they always react like that when his sense of humour came to the fore? It wasn't like he never made a joke. So what if they were few and far between and didn't always sound like jokes - he had a sense of humour.  
  
They didn't have to act so shocked if he actually used it! He moved back to his closet, forgetting to relock the door and stared at his collection of grey and white shirts before noticing the blue one again.  
  
Why not? If his friends reacted to his sense of humour with open-mouthed shock - then how would they react if he actually wore something that could be classified as a colour? He smiled and took it out of the closet, but paused before putting it n, a frown spreading across his features. What would Seifer think?  
  
He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. It didn't matter. Squall pulled the shirt on before he could change his mind and lifter his Griever pendant out from underneath the collar, letting it dangle against his chest. A pair of tight-fitting leather pants was the next item to be extracted from the closet. He followed them on, followed by his boots.  
  
Quickly he made his way back into the bathroom and extracted his three belts from the bundle of clothes that lay discarded on the floor. He stared at them for a while before putting them on, Seifer's taunts coming back to him. "Are you so paranoid, Leonhart, that you need to wear three belts to feel reassured that you pants wont fall off?"  
  
Squall sighed, before schooling his features to reveal nothing - he'd already shown Seifer too much of what he felt; it was time to stop - time to play the role of Leonheartless like he'd never done it before.  
  
Time to push his rival and long-time friend away. Confusion and anger warred with his resolve - he didn't want to do this, but it was the only way. He had to pretend that everything was like it had been before that afternoon in the Training Centre, but he couldn't - so he opted for another way out.  
  
From that moment forward Seifer Almasy didn't exist - he was just another SeeD - another face in the crowd. Not a lover, not a friend, not even a rival. He cringed, his calm mask shattering for a few moments before he regained control. When had he started thinking about Seifer as a possible lover? This had definitely gotten out of hand - he wasn't gay, he couldn't want Seifer!  
  
He ignored the little voice that laughed at his protest and grabbed his jacket before heading out the door and locking it. He was so lost in thought, trying to convince himself that ignoring Seifer's existence was all for the best - trying to ignore the amused laughter that resounded in his mind - that he didn't even think to take his gunblade.  
  
In fact he was so lost in thought he didn't even realise his gunblade was nowhere to be found in his entire room.  
  
TBC  
  
© Kyrri 2002 


	2. Bound at the Hilt

Matchmaker  
  
By Kyrri (kyrrissean@hotmail.com)  
  
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me - I'm at the shallow end of the creative pool and can't create my own so I'm borrowing the FF8 cast - please don't sue! Archive: Just tell me where!  
  
Part 2: Bound at the Hilt  
  
Seifer stood in the Training Centre, staring at the place Squall had just vacated. Shock played across his handsome features. Why had he done it? Because you wanted to see how he would react, a small voice in the back of his head chided. If he would react at all. and because one can only live on hope for so long.  
  
Well, now you know how he reacted and you can't take it back. What's done is done! He sighed, running what had happened through his mind again as he ran his hand through his short blonde hair - it could have been worse.  
  
How? That sarcastic little voice asked. Squall could have been totally unresponsive - at least he had reacted. For a moment Squall had kissed him back, for a moment Squall had wanted him.  
  
He's seen it in the SeeD Commander's eyes - Squall had wanted him, but he had also pushed him away. Seifer closed his eyes in defeat. He had moved too quickly, he should have been more subtle; he should have waited longer before making a move.  
  
Seifer snorted. He should have waited longer. He had been waiting for years. He'd wanted Squall ever since they were kids. He'd loved Squall ever since they were kids, but Squall would never return his feelings, and now he had spoiled even the little he had had.  
  
He had worked long and hard to regain the SeeD Commander's trust after the last of the Sorceress Wars. It had been difficult to return to the Garden after what happened, but to his surprise Squall had stuck up for him - explaining to Headmaster Cid and all the students that he had not been in control of his own actions; that he had been under Ultimecia's spell.  
  
It had also been Squall that helped him deal with all the hate mail he received. Squall had been there for him, had supported him - had actually pretended to care. No, Squall had cared - he'd cared so much he'd tried to hide it.  
  
He'd actually tried to be subtle about what he did. And Squall and subtle didn't go together well. Seifer smirked; maybe this wasn't such a lost cause as he originally thought.  
  
Then again. his smile disappeared - he knew well what Squall thought about relationships between members of the same gender. There wasn't a person in the Garden that didn't know. Not since Squall found out about his father's relationship with his Advisor, Kiros. The SeeD Commander had gone ballistic and it hadn't gotten any better, even after he had gotten over the shock of finding Laguna and Kiros in bed together.  
  
Seifer winced remembering - Squall's face hadn't betrayed anything, but Seifer had become somewhat of an expert at reading Squall Leonhart over the years that they had been friends and rivals. If you wanted to know what Squall felt you didn't look at his face - you looked at his eyes.  
  
They were, after all, the windows to the soul. Steel - the blue-grey depths of Squall's eyes could have been described no other way. Cold, hard steel. Unyielding and unforgiving. Utterly devoid of any emotion save anger, hatred and disgust. Squall had given the Lionheartless glare an entirely new meaning that day and his father bore the brunt of it.  
  
Poor Laguna! Seifer shuddered - Squall's usual glare sent grown men running for the door - this had been worse, much worse! Seifer had practically felt the room temperature drop below freezing point, shivers running up and down his spine as if Shiva stood right behind him, blowing her icy breath into his neck.  
  
And Squall hadn't even been looking at him, hadn't even glanced his way; Frosty's gaze had been fixed on Laguna's quailing form. To the man's credit he had stood there, reasonably still, only shifting his weight nervously every now and then as he made a valiant effort to return Squall's gaze.  
  
Silence had stretched between them, cold and threatening until Laguna dropped his gaze - that's when Seifer realized that their positions were reversed. Laguna felt intimidated by Squall - father feared son. But Laguna wanted his son's respect and acceptance - he needed it.  
  
Seifer had studied Squall, even as Squall scrutinized his father, some strange emotion warred with the anger in his eyes - dark clouds starting to edge over the steel as the storm started to brew.  
  
Seifer had desperately wanted to escape before it broke, but to his amazement it hadn't - Squall merely stared at Laguna before nodding his head and turning to go, leaving Seifer to follow miserably after.  
  
Laguna had Squall's respect, but his acceptance. that would take some doing. The blonde gunbladist shut his eyes, remembering the storm clouds that had misted Squall's vision, swirling madly in silent confusion, anger and rebellion.  
  
No, Frosty would never accept this, he would never accept the fact that it wasn't wrong for those of the same gender to love each other - to want each other - and that meant that he would never accept Seifer as anything other than a friend and he had ruined his chances of even sharing a friendship with Squall - it would never have been anything more.  
  
Amused laughter rang out from behind him, causing Seifer to nearly jump out of his skin, his eyes flying open as he spun round, shocked. He nearly did a double take when he saw who was considering him, her back pressed against one of the trees.  
  
His mouth gaped open wide as he took in the long, golden hair, pale blue face and blue gaze of Shiva and a strangled gasp escaped him that sounded vaguely like her name, but could just as easily have been a cough.  
  
His mind skipped ahead before his body could react - Shiva was junctioned to Squall - if she was here that surely meant that Frosty himself couldn't be far away. but Squall had fled only moments before. the light falling through the glass roof of Balamb Garden Training Centre told him differently - quite a bit of time had passed since Squall had left.  
  
Seifer mentally cursed himself for being the worst kind of idiot - he'd been standing there lost in thought for over an hour, utterly open to attack and completely defenceless. he noticed as his hand went to his side searching for the reassuring weight of his gunblade, but finding it gone.  
  
Shiva's laughter filled the air, light and musical, like chimes singing in the wind as Seifer glanced down in horror and shock at his empty sheath - where had his gunblade gotten to?  
  
He glanced up at the GF - confusion written clearly in his jade eyes and his gaze widened in further shock as he realized that Shiva's long fingers were twined around nothing else than the hilt of Hyperion.  
  
But how was this possible - where was Frosty? Shouldn't he be keeping the Ice Maiden in check? She couldn't be here alone - Seifer looked at the GF speculatively, a million questions screaming to be answered. Shiva smiled at him secretively, trailing light fingers over the sharp edge of the blade, cautiously so that the metal would not penetrate icy skin.  
  
Her smile deepened as he met her gaze, her eyes sparkling mischievously, seeming to melt and change, almost as though they hid fire instead of ice. Pale blue hands lifted the weapon, slowly, inevitably bringing its hilt close to icy lips. She placed a silent kiss there - where blade met hilt, pale blue meeting momentarily with metallic black as her gaze held Seifer's.  
  
The tall blonde gaped at her. What was she doing here? What was she doing, period? Where was Frosty? Shiva seemed to be considering him; she had stuck Hyperion into the ground and was leaning on the hilt.  
  
"'Frosty' is in his room and I don't think he will be coming here anytime soon. not willingly at least." Shiva sounded amused, the nickname he used for Squall in his thoughts passing from her lips with silent laughter.  
  
Seifer could do nothing but stare at the GF, his mouth hanging open wide. How had she done that? She wasn't junctioned to him, she was Squall's - she couldn't know his thoughts.  
  
Shiva snorted. "You're an open book, Seif, anyone could read you."  
  
Seifer shut his mouth with a click and glared at her. "I'm not that fucking transparent!"  
  
Shiva snorted again. "You'd be surprised!"  
  
Seifer merely continued to glare at her, letting the silence convey his anger at her intrusion of his thoughts. Vague thoughts that Squall was nearby and that assaulting a GF when said GF had somehow managed to steal his only weapon wasn't a good idea kept him from further outburst.  
  
Shiva smiled amusedly at him - almost as though she was following Seifer's train of thought and he suddenly realized that he felt cold. Shivers started running up and down his spine, uncontrollably. His eyes focused on the aloof form of Shiva.  
  
How in hell did Squall stand having the Ice Bitch in his head permanently when Seifer couldn't stand the touch of her mind for a matter of moments? Shiva smirked at him, the tendrils of her thoughts digging deeper into his mind as he fell to his knees, shaking violently, his lips turning blue from cold.  
  
"Get out! Get the fuck out of my head!" He yelled at her, crying out in pain from the forced entry he was fighting with all his might - fighting and losing against. He felt himself weaken, his defences start to fail and then she was gone. leaving his mind as quickly as she had entered - though far less painfully.  
  
He raised his head to glare at her. "Why?" he croaked, his head throbbing and spinning round like crazy. She merely smiled and looked at him considering. "Shiva?" he gasped her name, the word scratching in his throat, as she looked him over.  
  
She sounded just like a child when she answered - young and innocent - with a sense of justice that only a child would consider fair. An eye for an eye, her tone of voice insinuated. "You hurt him." she said simply, as if that was explanation enough for her actions.  
  
Seifer grimaced in pain, not quite comprehending what she meant - he'd hurt who? And since when did a GF act of its own free will? Who could he have hurt for her to take such action? Then the obvious struck him - Squall. But the Ice Maiden's reaction puzzled him - why did she care if Frosty was hurting?  
  
"He's hurting and it's your fault, Seif. And now." Shiva's lips curved upwards in a small smirk. "You're hurting too." Seifer scowled at her, letting his fingers trail lazy circles around his temples as he tried to rid himself of his fierce headache.  
  
"I didn't mean to hurt him," he spit back, vainly trying to defend himself. Shiva only shook her head. "That doesn't change the fact that you did hurt him, Seif, and I won't allow that!" The Ice Queen moved then, tugging Hyperion out of the ground and placing its tip under Seifer's chin, forcing his head upwards so that he could look her in the eye.  
  
"You won't hurt him again, Seif, I'm making sure of that." She glared at him and then she smiled - a cruel little twist of her mouth. "No, you won't hurt him again - you're going to do quite the opposite. You're going to help me make him happy and that means getting rid of Rinoa."  
  
Seifer stared at her. "Rinoa?" he asked, disbelievingly.  
  
"Yes, Rinoa." she said in disgust. "He'll be much better off without the optimistic little witch! She's driving him up the walls and he's too dutiful to notice how miserable she makes him. If she's not around, he pines. if she's there he wants her to go away just so that he can have some peace from her mindless babbling! She's even driving me out of his scull with her ceaseless prattle!"  
  
She pouted, blue lips turning up at the corners, her jaw jutting out slightly, making her look childish and lost. Seifer couldn't help but stare at her, considering. How could she possibly believe that he could help her force Squall to reject Rinoa? How could she possibly think that he could be able to help her when Squall had rejected him - when Frosty would probably refuse to let him within a ten-mile radius of him after that afternoon?  
  
Shiva smiled again, her eyes sparkling like those of a child who had a secret they simply couldn't keep, before stating bluntly. "He wants you, Seifer. And no matter how hard he tries to deny it, it doesn't make it any less true."  
  
Seifer gaped at her, his shock at her words temporarily overriding his anger at her for invading his thoughts again. It couldn't be true! Could it? He'd hope, dreamed and wished that it could be possible and now Shiva was dangling the very possibility of reality enticingly before him.  
  
So tantalizingly close, but still inexplicably out of reach. What she offered was simply too good for him to let pass. But it would take some doing - Squall thought relationships between the same gender wrong. He was going to have to change that if he wanted even the beginnings of a chance.  
  
He was going to have to force Frosty to experience something other than loathing and disgust. An image flashed through his mind as his imagination took over - replaying every sexual fantasy involving the brunette he had ever had. He grinned ferally as he saw the smaller man writhe beneath him in his mind's eye - this was going to be fun.  
  
Shiva grinned at him, almost victoriously and he realized that she had seen it too. A faint blush coloured his cheeks. "I told you to get out - leave my fucking thoughts alone!" The blush deepened as he realized the truth of his words, watching Shiva as she was desperately trying to contain her laughter, a pale hand coming to rest at her throat.  
  
Seifer managed to regain his composure and glared at Shiva. "Get out, Shiva," his voice was low and menacing, boding ill for any who would dare disobey him.  
  
"Oh, Seifer, tsk, tsk, tsk. so forceful - you're going to make me think you don't like me." Seifer continued to glare at her before replying sarcastically, "What? Me? Never." Shiva didn't reply, she only quirked an eyebrow at him, before saying simply. "Squall's going to Selphie's party tonight, he promised he would."  
  
Seifer nodded, inclining his head, gesturing that he knew. Shiva smiled, her blue lips curving upwards at the gesture.  
  
"Then you also know he's already there. You know what you have to do." Seifer didn't say anything, but his silence seemed to be enough for the GF, who nodded and said simply, "Good!" before disappearing with an icy breath of air.  
  
He shivered slightly; waiting for the air to turn warm again as it forgot the presence of the Ice Queen, as he desperately tried to forget that their conversation had ever occurred. But her words were embedded deeply in his mind, kept there and fanning his emotions into flame with a silent breath of hope. "He wants you, Seifer."  
  
He sighed deeply, not quite believing that the GF had really come to him, not quite believing what she had told him. It had to be some sick little game Squall was playing with him in order to exact his revenge.  
  
Shiva was at Frosty's beck and call, after all, but Squall wasn't cruel enough to play with Seifer like this. He simply didn't have the imagination - and Squall would find it far too distasteful, as it was.  
  
No, Seifer had no choice but to believe the Frost Bitch - he had no other choice at all. She'd played him perfectly and he knew it - dangling his greatest desire before him, giving him the means with which to claim what he wanted.  
  
He smiled ferally - not to take the opportunity she had handed him - he'd never forgive himself, even if nothing came of it - at least he would have tried. Seifer let his eyes trail over the clearing he was in, noticing that Hyperion was still embedded in the earth where Shiva had left it, but not all things where exactly as it had been.  
  
Another blade had been thrust into the ground in front of Hyperion, crossing it perfectly to form an 'X'. The Griever pendant looped loosely around both gunblades' hilts. Where had Squall's gunblade come from?  
  
It hadn't been there a moment ago. Seifer stared at it for a while, before he began chuckling softly to himself. He was going to have to return that.  
  
TBC  
  
© Kyrri 2002 


End file.
